MPs Slam ‘Secretive’ Climategate Probes

Labour MP Graham Stringer said Lord Oxburgh appeared to have a “conflict of interest”

TWO inquiries into claims that scientists manipulated data about global warming were yesterday condemned by MPs as ineffective and too secretive.

The row, which became known as Climategate, erupted in 2009 over allegations that researchers had deliberately strengthened evidence suggesting human activity was to blame for rising temperatures.

MPs on the Science and Technology Committee have now concluded that both probes into the scandal had failed to “fully investigate” claims that scientists had deleted embarrassing emails.

The investigations were set up after around 4,000 leaked emails and documents appeared to show that scientists at East Anglia University’s Climate Research Unit had manipulated data to strengthen the case for man-made global warming.

UEA’s Independent Climate Change Emails Review was led by Sir Muir Russell, while the Scientific Appraisal Panel was led by Lord Oxburgh.

But the MPs said they had “reservations” about both inquiries.

They criticised the brevity of the appraisal panel report, at “a mere five pages”, and said both investigations should have been more open to the public.

The committee also said the emails review “did not fully investigate the serious allegation” relating to the deletion of emails and instead relied on a verbal reassurance that the messages still exist.

Though the committee was split over the credibility of the inquiries, an amendment put forward by Labour MP Graham Stringer which said that they had not been independent was voted down by members.

He said Lord Oxburgh appeared to have a “conflict of interest” because of his links to green businesses while the Emails Review panel included a former Climate Research Unit scientist.

He maintained: “We are now left without a clear understanding of whether or not the CRU science is compromised.”

Last night Dr Benny Peiser, of Lord Lawson’s Global Warming Policy Foundation, said: “Mr Stringer is saying what many critical observers think. The inquiries were inept, biased and have not closed this affair.

“The MPs’ report says we should move on but you cannot if you have unfinished business.”

Yesterday the university said that it welcomed the report and stressed that the independent inquiries “had exonerated our scientists of any wrongdoing”.

It said many of the inquiries’ “clear and sensible” recommendations had already been implemented.

An East Anglia University spokesman said: “The fact remains that the findings of the Climatic Research Unit are entirely consistent with those of other independent research groups across the globe.”